Skylab 2 Station Inspection

May 25, 1973, the crew of Skylab 2 (Pete Conrad, Joseph Kerwin, and Paul Weitz) inspect Skylab before docking and starting the herculean task of repairing the damaged space station. They were successful and spent 28 days in space, making them America's space first station crew.

During its launch, Skylab was severely damaged. One solar panel wing and the micrometeorite shield / sun shade were torn off. Debris from the later prevented the other solar panel from deploying.

The crew as able to free the stuck solar panel, and deployed a parasol to block the sun and bring the interior temperature of the station down to a reasonable level, paving the way for two more missions to the station.